Establishment of lateral organ asymmetries in the invertebrate chordate, Ciona intestinalis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The evolutionary emergence and diversification of the chordates appear to involve dramatic changes in organ morphogenesis along the left/right axis. However, the ancestral chordate mechanism for establishing lateral asymmetry remains ambiguous. Additionally, links between the initial establishment of lateral asymmetry and subsequent asymmetries in organ morphogenesis are poorly characterized.

Results

To explore asymmetric organ morphogenesis during chordate evolution, we have begun to characterize left/right patterning of the heart and endodermal organs in an invertebrate chordate, Ciona intestinalis. Here, we show that Ciona has a laterally asymmetric, right-sided heart. Our data indicate that cardiac lateral asymmetry requires H⁺/K⁺

SUBMITTER: Palmquist K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5526266 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature